The manor loomed ahead, shrouded in mist and the long shadows of overgrown trees. As Lamine and Aïssata stepped out of their car, the morning sun barely pierced the canopy above, leaving the air cool and heavy with dew. The house stood as a relic of another time—its windows dusty, its wooden facade worn from years of neglect, but it was a place full of memories that tugged at Lamine’s mind.
He paused at the crumbling stone steps, gazing up at the manor’s darkened windows. “I think I remember this place...,” he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. “I was so young, but I remember my mother bringing me here once. She said it was a sanctuary.”
Aïssata placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Maybe it was more than that. Maybe she left something here for you—a key to the truth.” Her voice was calm, but her eyes held the same determination that mirrored Lamine’s. They had come too far to turn back now.
The front door creaked as Lamine pushed it open, and they stepped into the foyer, where dust motes floated in the air. The musty smell of old wood and time-worn memories filled their senses. They moved slowly through the manor’s halls, taking in the faded portraits on the walls, the tarnished mirrors, and the elegant but decaying furniture.
As they explored, Lamine couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. He glanced over his shoulder more than once, but the manor remained silent, holding its secrets close.
---
Scene Shift: Discovering the Hidden Room
Hours passed as they combed through the abandoned rooms. Just when frustration began to seep into Lamine’s mind, Aïssata’s voice echoed from down the hallway. “Lamine! Come here, quickly!”
He hurried to her side, finding her standing in front of a large bookshelf in what appeared to be an old study. She ran her fingers along the spines of the dusty books, then pointed to a small, barely noticeable lever hidden behind one of the volumes. With a quick tug, the entire bookshelf creaked and shifted, revealing a hidden door behind it.
Lamine’s heart pounded as he pushed the door open, revealing a small, secret chamber. Inside, the walls were lined with documents, maps, and photographs. At the center of the room, an antique wooden desk stood with a single envelope resting on top of it, addressed to Lamine Doucouré in his mother’s handwriting.
He tore open the envelope, unfolding a letter yellowed with age. The words blurred for a moment as he fought back the flood of emotions. Aïssata squeezed his hand, urging him to read aloud.
“My dearest Lamine, if you’ve found this, it means that I can no longer protect you myself. You must be strong, my son. Everything I did, I did to keep you safe from those who would use you as a pawn in their games of power. There is a truth that many have sought to bury, one that even I could not fully uncover before they caught up to me. But I left you a piece of the puzzle—a key to the place where all answers lie.”
“The key is in the family I left behind, in the connections I tried to protect you from. Follow the clues, trust only those whose hearts have not been corrupted, and you will understand why I chose this path. You must protect yourself, Lamine. They will come for you when they realize how close you are to the truth.”
“Remember, I love you always. Your mother, Adja Doucouré.”
Lamine’s hands trembled as he finished reading, his mind reeling with the revelations. The family she spoke of—was it his true lineage, hidden even deeper than he had imagined? What secret had his mother uncovered that put her life in such danger?
Aïssata placed the letter down gently, her expression a mixture of sadness and determination. “She must have known that this would lead us here... but what did she mean by the ‘key’ being in the family she left behind? Could it be... one of those people that we are up against now?”
Lamine shook his head, feeling a surge of frustration. “It has to be connected somehow. But there’s more here—we need to go through everything she left behind. Maybe there’s something that can tell us what exactly she was protecting.”
---
Scene Shift: Shadows Closing In
Outside the manor, hidden among the trees, the black SUV that had followed them sat parked, its windows tinted to conceal its occupants. The tall man from the cabin, along with Cheikh and Maimouna, watched the manor through binoculars. Cheikh’s lips curled into a sneer as he lowered the binoculars.
“They found the hidden room,” he said, his voice a low growl. “Whatever’s in there, we can’t let them take it.”
Maimouna, sitting in the backseat, pulled out her phone, tapping out a message to the rest of their group. “We need to move now. If Lamine finds out too much, it’ll be over for all of us. Adama won’t be happy if they uncover the truth.”
Cheikh’s hand twitched towards the gun holstered at his side, but the tall man placed a hand on his arm, shaking his head. “Not yet. Let them think they’re safe for a little longer. We’ll make our move once they come out. We need whatever they find in there for leverage.”
---
Scene Shift: The Final Puzzle Piece
Back inside the hidden room, Lamine and Aïssata worked quickly, scanning through maps and documents. Among them, they found a photograph of their mother standing with several men, one of whom they recognized instantly as a much younger Mamadou, their adoptive father. Next to him stood Khadim Ba, his arm slung over the shoulder of another man they didn’t recognize.
Aïssata turned the photo over, reading the inscription on the back: “The Seven—1996.”
Lamine’s eyes widened as he stared at the image. “The Seven... could that be the same group Khadim was working with? The same people who are after us now?”
Aïssata nodded, her mind racing. “It has to be. If this group was working with Mamadou back then, and Khadim is their link... it means they’ve been manipulating our lives from the start.”
As they pieced together the final clues, Lamine uncovered a small lockbox hidden beneath the desk. Inside, there was an ornate key, ancient in design, with the initials A.D. engraved on it. It fit perfectly with the mysterious phrase in their mother’s letter—the key to the place where all answers lie.
He held the key in his hand, feeling its cold weight. “This is it, Aïssata. This is what she wanted us to find. But where does it go?”
Before Aïssata could respond, they heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps outside the hidden room, followed by a low voice speaking into a phone. Lamine’s blood ran cold as he recognized Cheikh’s voice from the cabin.
“They’re still inside. Get ready.”
Aïssata’s eyes widened with alarm. “We have to get out of here—now!”
They gathered everything they could, slipping the key into Lamine’s pocket. As they moved towards the hidden door, they heard the heavy footsteps drawing closer. The air was thick with tension, every creak of the floorboards outside making their hearts race faster.
YOU ARE READING
The Struggles of Lamine
Mystery / ThrillerThe book is basically about a boy, born into this cruel world and abandoned but tries to find his roots and later finds his way to the top and also finds happiness along the line
